Such motor vehicle door locks are, for instance, known from prior art disclosed by the applicant in DE 20 2008 003 845 U1 or from DE 196 42 698 A1. In the latter case, DE 196 42 698 A1 discloses that in the normal case or normal mode a handle part of a door handle is fixed in its normal position. After unlocking of the door lock, a respective motor vehicle door can be opened without pivoting, by simply pulling on the handle part.
In case of an emergency or a crash, such as a collision, an electronic control system evaluates a signal of a respective collision sensor. As a result, a locking bolt is retracted, which previously blocked the handle part of the door handle. The door lock can subsequently be opened mechanically. In contrast, the door lock is opened by an electric motor or a motorized opening unit when in normal mode.
The know procedure has generally proven to be a successful solution, reaches however its limits when the motorized opening unit in the normal mode is not or no longer able to open the locking mechanism, as in this functional position no mechanical opening was originally provided. Also the design effort and consequently the financial cost for implementing such a motor vehicle door lock are enormous.